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Benedetta (film)

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Benedetta
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPaul Verhoeven
Screenplay byDavid Birke
Paul Verhoeven
Based onImmodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy
by Judith C. Brown
Produced bySaïd Ben Saïd
Michel Merkt
Jérôme Seydoux
StarringVirginie Efira
Lambert Wilson
Daphne Patakia
Olivier Rabourdin
Clotilde Courau
Charlotte Rampling
Hervé Pierre
CinematographyJeanne Lapoirie
Edited byJob ter Burg
Music byAnne Dudley
Production
companies
Pathé
SBS Productions
Distributed byPathé Distribution
Release dates
  • 9 July 2021 (2021-07-09) (Cannes)
  • 9 July 2021 (2021-07-09) (France)
Running time
131 minutes
Countries
  • France
  • Netherlands
LanguageFrench
Box office$3.8 million[1]

Benedetta is a 2021 biographical drama film directed and co-written by Paul Verhoeven, starring Virginie Efira as Benedetta Carlini, a novice nun in the 17th century who joins an Italian convent and has a lesbian love affair with another nun.[2][3]

The film is loosely based on the 1986 non-fiction book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy by Judith C. Brown,[4] and brings back most of the key crew members from Verhoeven's previous film Elle (which co-starred Efira), including producer Saïd Ben Saïd, writer David Birke, composer Anne Dudley and editor Job ter Burg.

The film premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in competition for the Palme d'Or.[5]

Plot

The events of the movie occur during the 17th century. The main character is Benedetta Carlini, who is an Italian nun in the abbey of a convent in Tuscany. She was considered to be mystical and venerated by her religious entourage, and finally arrested and judged for sapphism.

Cast

  • Eleonora Rossini and Irene Baldeschi cameo as nuns

    • Production

    Development

    Following the critical and commercial success of his previous film Elle (2016), director Paul Verhoeven developed several projects including one about Jesus based on his own book Jesus of Nazareth, another one about the French Resistance during World War II and a third one scripted by Jean-Claude Carrière about a medieval story set in a monastery.[6] On 25 April 2017, producer Saïd Ben Saïd revealed that the third had been the one chosen as Verhoeven's next project.[7] The film, then titled Blessed Virgin, marked the producer and the director's second collaboration after Elle. Gerard Soeteman, who has worked with Verhoeven on eight previous films including Turkish Delight (1973), The Fourth Man (1983) and Black Book (2006), replaced Carrière to adapt the non-fiction book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy which was published in 1986 and written by historian Judith C. Brown. Soeteman ultimately distanced himself from the project and had his name removed from the credits as he felt too much of the story was focused on sexuality.[8]

    Belgian actress Virginie Efira, who played a supporting part as a devout Catholic in Elle, was cast in the leading role of Benedetta Carlini, a 17th-century nun who suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions.[2] On 25 March 2018, Saïd Ben Saïd announced that Verhoeven had co-written the final draft with David Birke, who previously wrote Elle.[9] Judith C. Brown stated that "Paul Verhoeven and David Birke have written an imaginative and spellbinding script that explores the intersection of religion, sexuality, and human ambition in an age of plague and faith."[10] Verhoeven then clarified his intentions:

    Blessed Virgin must be deeply infused with a sense of the sacred. I have been interested in the sacred ever since I was a child, both generally and more specifically in music, painting.[11]

    On 3 April 2018, Lambert Wilson told French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche that he has a role in the film. On 1 May 2018, Deadline Hollywood revealed that Charlotte Rampling entered negotiations to play a key supporting role.[12] On 4 May 2018, it was announced that the film was retitled to Benedetta. Although Verhoeven had hoped to convince Isabelle Huppert to play a supporting role in the film,[13] producer Saïd Ben Saïd stated on 31 May 2018, that the actress was not joining the project.[14] Ben Saïd also confirmed that Louise Chevillotte, Olivier Rabourdin, Clotilde Courau and Hervé Pierre had been cast in the film.

    Filming

    Principal photography on the retitled production began on 19 July 2018 in Montepulciano, Italy.[15][16] Other locations included Val d'Orcia and Bevagna, also in Italy, as well as the Silvacane Abbey and Le Thoronet Abbey, in France.[17] Production was followed by a strong campaign of secrecy and no one, unless working on the film, was allowed on the set.[18] Producer Saïd Ben Saïd admitted that the story was "subject to controversy" and feared reactions from fundamentalist Catholic associations.[18]

    Release

    The cast promoting the film at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival

    On 16 February 2018, The Hollywood Reporter announced Pathé would be producing and distributing the film in France and would also be handling international sales.[19] On 29 August 2018, Pathé and SBS Productions released a first look image of the film.[20]

    Although it was initially reported that the film would premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, Pathé announced on 14 January 2019 that the release had been postponed until 2020, stating that post-production had been delayed as Verhoeven was recovering from hip surgery.[21] However, the release was delayed again to 2021, following the cancellation of the 2020 edition of the Cannes Film Festival where the film was set to premiere, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[22]

    On 10 May 2020, Cannes director Thierry Fremaux confirmed the film's selection and stated that "Paul Verhoeven delivers an erotic and mischievous, also political, vision of the Middle Ages in a grandiose production."[23]

    Benedetta's world premiere took place at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in competition for the Palme d'Or.[24][25] By the end of its run, it will have screened at film festivals in Brussels,[26] Busan,[27] Haifa,[28] Hong Kong,[29] Karlovy Vary,[30] London,[31] New York,[32] and San Sebastian.[33][34]

    On 5 May 2021, Pathé unveiled the first trailer and final theatrical release poster.[35] That same month, MUBI and IFC Films acquired the distribution rights to the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States respectively.[36][37] It is scheduled to be released in the United States on 3 December 2021.[38]

    Reception

    Box office

    In its opening weekend, the film earned $136,839 from 201 theaters.[39]

    Critical response

    In France, the film averages 3.5/5 on AlloCiné from 36 press reviews.[40] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 143 reviews, with an average rating of 7.40/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Precariously walking a tightrope of varying genres and tones, Benedetta provokes salient questions about sexual freedom and its relationship to faith."[41] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[42]

    Banning in Singapore

    Benedetta was refused classification by the IMDA for insensitive portrayals of the Catholic Church, particularly a homosexual scene between two nuns. This effectively outlawed the distribution of the film in Singapore.[43]

    References

    1. ^ "Benedetta". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
    2. ^ a b Mitchell, Robert (26 April 2017). "Paul Verhoeven to Direct 'Blessed Virgin,' Based on True Story of Lesbian Nun". Variety.
    3. ^ Collinson, Gary (7 May 2018). "Charlotte Rampling joins Paul Verhoeven's religious erotic thriller Blessed Virgin". Flickering Myth.
    4. ^ Brown, Judith C. (1986). Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy (1st ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195036751. LCCN 85005031.
    5. ^ Lachasse, Jérôme (4 June 2020). "Festival de Cannes: un film déjà sélectionné pour l'édition 2021" [Cannes Festival: a film already selected for the 2021 edition]. BFMTV (in French).
    6. ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (20 May 2016). "Paul Verhoeven interview: the director continues to stoke up controversy as his latest film premieres at Cannes". The Independent.
    7. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (26 April 2017). "Paul Verhoeven Sets Next: 'Blessed Virgin' To Star 'Elle's Virginie Efira As Lesbian Nun". Deadline Hollywood.
    8. ^ Bongers, Vincent (29 November 2018). "Iedereen is ambigu" [Everyone is ambiguous]. Mare (in Dutch). Leiden University.
    9. ^ Ben Saïd, Saïd [@saidbensaid66] (25 March 2018). "Finally..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    10. ^ Ben Saïd, Saïd [@saidbensaid66] (25 March 2018). "« Paul Verhoeven and David Birke have written an imaginative and spellbinding script that explores the intersection of religion, sexuality, and human ambition in an age of plague and faith » JUDITH BROWN" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    11. ^ Ben Saïd, Saïd [@saidbensaid66] (6 April 2018). "« BLESSED VIRGIN must be deeply infused with a sense of the sacred. I have been interested in the sacred ever since I was a child, both generally and more specifically in music, painting » Paul Verhoeven" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    12. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (1 May 2018). "Charlotte Rampling Set To Join Paul Verhoeven's Erotic Thriller 'Blessed Virgin'". Deadline Hollywood.
    13. ^ "Paul Verhoeven wil Isabelle Huppert weer voor nieuwe film" [Paul Verhoeven wants Isabelle Huppert again for new film]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 12 November 2017.
    14. ^ Ben Saïd, Saïd [@saidbensaid66] (31 May 2018). "No, that's not correct. Virginie Efira, Charlotte Rampling, Daphné Patakia, Louise Chevillotte, Olivier Rabourdin, Lambert Wilson, Clotilde Courau, Hervé Pierre are the actors of the film" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    15. ^ "Paul Verhoevens Blessed Virgin heet nu Benedetta" [Paul Verhoeven's Blessed Virgin is now called Benedetta]. RTL Boulevard (in Dutch). 11 July 2018.
    16. ^ "Inizia la lavorazione di "Benedetta" di Verhoeven" [Work begins on Verhoeven's "Benedetta"]. Il Cittadino (in Italian). 11 July 2018.
    17. ^ Amalric, Laurent (18 October 2018). "Paul Verhoeven, le réalisateur de "Basic Instinct", a tourné son sulfureux "Benedetta" dans le Var" [Paul Verhoeven, the director of "Basic Instinct", shot his sultry "Benedetta" in Var]. Nice-Matin (in French).
    18. ^ a b Clarac, Toma (5 May 2021). "Virginie Efira : " Le vrai danger, c'est l'immobilité "" [Virginie Efira: "The real danger is immobility"]. Vanity Fair (in French).
    19. ^ Roxborough, Scott (16 February 2018). "Berlin: Pathe to Release Paul Verhoeven's 'Blessed Virgin' in France". The Hollywood Reporter.
    20. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (29 August 2018). "Pathé, SBS unveil first image of Verhoeven's newly titled nun drama 'Benedetta'". Screen Daily.
    21. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (14 January 2019). "Paul Verhoeven's nun drama 'Benedetta' delayed until 2020". Screen Daily.
    22. ^ Grater, Tom (12 May 2020). "Paul Verhoeven Planning 'Bel Ami' Series With 'Elle' Producer & 'Black Book' Scribe". Deadline Hollywood.
    23. ^ Schaller, Nicolas (10 May 2020). "Les pistes concrètes de Thierry Frémaux pour réinventer Cannes 2020" [The practical tracks of Thierry Frémaux to reinvent Cannes 2020]. L'Obs (in French).
    24. ^ "Thierry Frémaux garde une place pour Benedetta de Paul Verhoeven" [Thierry Frémaux keeps a spot for Paul Verhoeven's Benedetta] (in French). Canal +. 4 June 2020.
    25. ^ Buchanan, Kyle (10 July 2021). "Cannes Film Festival: The Director of 'Showgirls' Takes On Lesbian Nuns". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
    26. ^ "Benedetta". BRIFF. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
    27. ^ "Benedetta". Busan International Film Festival.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
    28. ^ Brown, Hannah (6 September 2021). "Stillwater, starring Matt Damon, to open Haifa Film Festival". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 26 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
    29. ^ Marsh, James (12 August 2021). "10 highlights of Hong Kong Summer International Film Festival 2021". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 26 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
    30. ^ Kudlac, Martin (20 September 2021). "Karlovy Vary 2021 Review: In BENEDETTA, Paul Verhoeven Marries Prestige Satire to Camp Drama". ScreenAnarchy. Retrieved 26 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
    31. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (7 September 2021). "'Spencer,' 'The Lost Daughter,' 'Benedetta' Among BFI London Film Festival Galas, Full Program Unveiled". Variety. Retrieved 26 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
    32. ^ Shafer, Ellise (10 August 2021). "New York Film Festival Slate Includes 'Titane,' 'Benedetta,' 'The Velvet Underground'". Variety. Retrieved 26 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
    33. ^ "Eleven films to compete for the RTVE-Otra Mirada Award at San Sebastian Festival". WebWire. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
    34. ^ "San Sebastian Film Festival". sansebastianfestival. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
    35. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (5 May 2021). "Cannes Confirms Paul Verhoeven's 'Benedetta' in Competition; Pathé Unveils Trailer, Poster". Variety.
    36. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (25 May 2021). "'Benedetta': Mubi Takes UK Rights To Paul Verhoeven's Cannes-Bound Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
    37. ^ Keslassy, Elsa; Lang, Brent (27 May 2021). "IFC Films Buys Paul Verhoeven's 'Benedetta' Ahead of Cannes Debut (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
    38. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (12 August 2021). "Paul Verhoeven's Steamy Cannes Hit 'Benedetta' Gets U.S. Release Date". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
    39. ^ "Domestic 2021 Weekend 49". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
    40. ^ "Benedetta". AlloCiné. Retrieved 23 November 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
    41. ^ "Benedetta". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
    42. ^ "Benedetta". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
    43. ^ Tan, Eternality (16 December 2021). "Benedetta (2021)". Eternality Tan. Retrieved 27 December 2021.


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